Category: Personal

Is CurrencyFair Offering Apple the Best Rate?

The world’s largest technology company was recently handed a £11bn (€13 bn) bill for underpaying taxes to Ireland. After a three-year investigation of Apple’s tax deal in Ireland, European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager concluded: “Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies – this is illegal under EU state aid rules.” Within hours, Dublin-based […]

App Tests Travellers Wishing To Call Customer Support

Popping into the Post Office for travel money is one popular option that’s certainly going to deliver better exchange rates than collecting foreign currency at the airport. Now many travellers are road testing another option- a mobile app that allows them to get better rates than the traditional aforementioned options. Using an app for travel […]

Expats Abroad: Unfreeze Your UK Pension Today

Another consequence of Brexit is a worrisome possibility for those retiring abroad in EU: the chill of having their pensions frozen. As it stands today, retirees that have paid into the UK system their whole life face reduced state pensions if they chose to live abroad in countries that don’t have pension reciprocal agreements with […]

Five Reasons to Stall Brexit

Theresa May has assured the public that Whitehall is moving ‘full steam ahead’ with Brexit. She ought to stall until as late as 2020. Critics who urge her to pull the trigger on Article 50 are unwisely demanding haste given the scope of the tasks ahead. This will be the most complex series of negotiations […]

UK Housing Crisis Now a National Emergency?

In her first speech as Prime Minister, Theresa May vowed to “build a better Britain not just for the privileged few” and she spoke of the “injustice” that younger people will find it “harder than ever” to purchase their own homes. Given the rising prices of homes across the UK coupled with the decrease in home […]

Brexit loses UK nearly a Third of International Students

Almost a third of international students say they were not likely to study in the UK as a result of Brexit. According to a survey from college and careers service Hobsons, 32 per cent of the 1,014 respondents said they would prefer Canada, 21 per cent chose Germany, while 20 per cent picked American or […]

Compare Trump and Clinton on Spending and Economy

The media circus that always accompanies Donald Trump was in stark contrast to the staid and comparatively dull Democratic National Convention(DNC). Trump managed to steal some of the focus from what is an historic event- the first woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate for a major party, saying: “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope […]

Elon Musk’s Visionary Gigafactory

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon-who has been in negotiation to merge with solar company SolarCity, Inc- has recently said that the final designs for Tesla’s $35,000 electric Model 3 were finalised two weeks ago; the company is moving forward on schedule to begin production next summer. Musk said the Model 3 may bring in revenue […]

British Luxury Yachts Brexit Exchange Rate Bargains

The British pound Sterling to US dollar exchange rate since Brexit means that the UK has become a bargain marketplace for foreign property and business investors with Wells Fargo buying up a pricey City block and British chip design firm ARM selling to Japanese company SoftBank for £24bn. The exchange rate is also increasing sales […]

Proof That Big Banks Rob Clients: HSBC FX Exec Arrested

If you were transferring euros into pounds on December 7, 2011, after 2:56, then you got a poor exchange rate because a pair of currency dealers in the UK manipulated the market to cause the pound to spike in value. This week saw the first arrest of an individual currency broker responsible for “ramping” or […]